Self-adjusting collapsible ammunition holder

ABSTRACT

A self-adjusting collapsible ammunition holder, including an upper body and a pin supported on it, around which there is a cylinder to which a lower clip is attached, such that the lower clip of the ammunition holder bends or turns by the force of a spring against the body of the holder, as the self-adjusting lower part of which act the cylinder, which slides around the pin by the force of the spring or the user, and an intermediate piece.

FIELD

The aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to soldiers, lawenforcement and other users of 40 millimetre grenade launchers, tear gaslaunchers, shotguns or similar handheld guns or grenade launchers whichhave to be reloaded after each shot or the magazines of which have to bemanually reloaded. The ammunition holder is intended for carryingammunition and for rapid transfer of ammunition from a carrier device orelsewhere into the cartridge chamber or charging chamber of the actualgun. In this application, ammunition refers to rifle-calibre cartridgesand other ammunition. The disclosed embodiments are mainly intended for40 mm grenade launcher and shotgun ammunition but is not limited tothem.

BACKGROUND

For carrying ammunition, combat gear has included bandoliers, vests withpockets and separate pockets fastened in different ways. Such pocketshave also remained largely unchanged over time. The ease of retrievingammunition and inserting it in the weapon varies a great deal betweendifferent pocket types.

A pocket with a flap keeps the ammunition safe, but opening the flap isan inconvenient motion when firing several shots as each ammunition mustbe taken out of the pocket separately. The flap can be kept open, butthen there is no guarantee that the ammunition will stay in place. Theproperties of textile pockets change when they get wet, especially infreezing conditions. Water also remains in textile pockets and increasesthe weight of the load carried by the user. Ammunition can be placed onthe magazine table of a fighting hole or a similar place where they arereadily accessible. In this case, however, the weather and any debrisloosened by the action may cover the ammunition. It may be impossible totake along loose ammunition when changing the fighting position.

Loading single-shot and magazine grenade launchers and shotguns isspeeded up considerably by a loading holder made for the purpose. Inpractical shooting competitions, mechanical loading holders or loadertubes are used for tubular magazine shotguns. In a shotgun loadingholder, the shotgun cartridges are on the shooter's belt or other gearand two or four cartridges are usually retrieved from them at a timeinto one's hand and inserted in the tubular magazine of the shotgun. Byusing this type of loading holder and technique, it is possible toachieve a rate of fire corresponding to that of a box magazine fedsemi-automatic shotgun with a tubular magazine shotgun. Shotgun loadingholders are made by several manufacturers and one product known in thefield is the MSHG6 modular loading holder manufactured by KingCompetition Products Oy. This type of shotgun loading holder usually hasa body with a fixed upper clip for the base of the cartridge and anadjustable sliding lower clip which holds the lower part of the lowercartridge in place. The upper clip normally comprises a groove for thebase of the cartridge and magnets or a mechanical clip. These shotgunloading holders are designed for shooting competitions and do not takefield conditions or military or law enforcement users very much intoconsideration.

For hand grenades and distraction devices has been manufactured a hardpouch with a mechanism which keeps the distraction device in place inthe gear. The manufacturer is A.C S. Industries Ltd and the product iscalled The Grenade Trigger Pouch and it is patented (U.S. Pat. Nos.8,523,030 and 8,651,347). Its operating principle and field of use are,however, different.

The patent CN 206772145 U of CHONGQING XINGYONG TECH CO LTD alsodiscloses a mechanical grenade or cast holder. In it, an upper lid foldsopen by the force of a spring and retracts out of the way, at the sametime also releasing the jaws around the grenade.

SUMMARY

The disclosed embodiments relate to a self-adjusting collapsibleammunition holder according to the accompanying claims. Theself-adjusting collapsible ammunition holder solves the problem of 40 mmgrenade pouches, shotgun cartridge holders, by being mechanical, whichmeans that its properties hardly change at all in normal temperatures orin the event it gets wet. The user experience is the same under allconditions and retrieving the grenade can be done reliably, whether ornot wearing gloves. After practice, the self-adjusting collapsibleammunition holder makes it possible to fire very rapid successive shotsin various situations. Following the development of sights, weapons andammunition, for example, in 40 mm grenade launchers, this is one way ofincreasing effect by increasing the rate of fire.

Due to the curved flight path and slow ammunition of the 40 mmammunition of a grenade launcher, it may be difficult to hit a targetwith the first shot. Thus, a second rapid shot where adjustments havebeen made is important. With this loading holder, an experienced shooteris able to fire a rapid next shot, which means that the shooter will beable to change the fighting position or take cover quicker.

The aim of the disclosed embodiments is to provide a rapid, repeatableway independent of weather and lighting conditions of releasingammunition for use from the gear or a weapon. The problem is solved bymeans of a mechanical holder, the length of which self-adjusts inaccordance with the length of the ammunition used, and some of theholder's clips fold out of the way automatically after the ammunitionhas been released. The base of the ammunition is twisted outwards fromthe holder and it is released into the hand as the mechanism works. Theammunition stays well in place during transportation but is released byone hand, with one movement in the direction of loading.

LIST OF FIGURES

In the following are listed the Figures of the present application,wherein

FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of the holder without ammunition.

FIG. 1B is a three-dimensional view of the holder with ammunition. Inthis connection, all Figures showing ammunition show the same generic 40mm grenade launcher ammunition.

FIG. 2A is a cross-section of the holder as seen from the side withoutammunition. The cross-section is at the pin and slide closest to theviewer and it also shows a height-adjusting spring.

FIG. 2B shows the holder as seen from below without ammunition.

FIG. 3A shows the holder with an alternative lower attachment part.

FIG. 3B shows the holder with an alternative lower attachment part andammunition.

DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-3B show a holder 100, 111, wherein a base 110 of an ammunitionprovided with a groove, flange or similar attaching shape is supportedin a cavity 102 in an upper body of the holder. In the said cavity, inwhich the base of the ammunition stays, there is a groove and a shoulder101 corresponding in shape to the groove or flange of the ammunitionbase, the said shoulder, together with the cavity 102, keeping theammunition in place in the direction of the longitudinal axis and sidesof the holder. The shoulder may also be shaped to be straight so as notto conform to the curved shape of the ammunition base. When theammunition is placed in the holder 100, the base is lastly pressed inthe cavity 102 and the shoulder 101 simultaneously prevents any loosedirt or ice from the groove or around the flange from entering thecavity 102.

A clip 103 in the shape of the tip of the ammunition twists theammunition towards the cavity 102 in the upper body and thus preventsthe base 110 of the ammunition from being released from the upper body109 without external twisting. The clip 103 is articulated andspring-loaded and bends, as in the holder 100 of FIG. 1A, or turns, asin the holder 111 of FIG. 3A, out of the way immediately when theammunition is removed from the holder. Being made for round or pointedtip ammunition, the round clip has a diameter that is somewhat smallerthan the diameter of the ammunition, which means that the clip pushed bythe spring 113 cannot slide around the ammunition. In the solution ofFIGS. 3A and 3B, which comprises a turning clip 105, a separate lowerbody part 115 is attached to an intermediate piece 107 and prevents thelower clip from sliding too far up along the ammunition.

The spring-loaded clip 103 or 105 is also self-adjusting according tothe length of different ammunitions. The clip 103 with its spring 104 isattached to the intermediate piece 107 which combines two cylinders 108sliding on a pin by the force of a spring 113 or the user. The movementof the spring 113 from the lower end is limited by the base 105 of thepin and from the upper end the spring is supported inside the cylinder108 and on its end. Through the cylinder 108, the spring 113 also pushesthe intermediate piece 107 and the spring 104 attached to it as well asthe lower clip 103 upwards and against the ammunition 112. Whendetaching the ammunition, its base is turned outwards from the cavity102 in the upper body. When the structure comprised of the lower clip103 and the springs 104, 113 as well as the upper clip formed by theupper body bends, the base of the ammunition is able to turn completelyout of the upper clip, whereupon it is free to move upwards, forward orto the sides.

When the ammunition is completely removed from the holder, the lowerclip 103 is able to turn by the force of the spring 104 against thecylinders 108. After the removal of the ammunition, the cylinder 108with its parts 107, 104 and 103 is able to rise to an upper position inwhich the movement of the cylinder stops when its upper end reaches theupper body 109 and remains against it. The fastening of the lower clip103, 105 through the intermediate piece 107 to the two cylinders 108 andthe pin 106 prevents the lower clip 103 from rotating about the axis ofthe pin 106.

At the back of the upper body 109 there are holes for fastening theholder to the desired base, weapon, gear or attachment. The bodies,clips, pins and springs together constitute a self-adjusting ammunitionholder.

A substantial aspect is that following the removal of the ammunition,the clip retracts against the body of the holder. This allows easyhandling of the next grenades and other equipment when the holder is notin the way. At the same time, this makes the profile of the emptyholders lower, whereupon when using protection or when moving inconfined spaces, the holder is in the way as little as possible.

A functional difference between the self-adjusting collapsibleammunition holder disclosed herein and, for example, the publication CN206772145 U is that in the said publication, the mechanism, and thus thegrenade, is released by a push button. The self-adjusting collapsibleammunition holder disclosed herein does not have a separate releasebutton, but the ammunition may be taken from the holder directly intothe loading grip. Another functional and significant difference is thatin the self-adjusting collapsible ammunition holder presented herein,the protruding parts turn inwards, thus making the holder considerablysmaller once the ammunition or grenade has been removed.

The difference between the self-adjusting collapsible ammunition holderand pouches and other ammunition carriers is that it functionsmechanically and thus gives a similar feel for detaching the ammunitioneach time. The ammunition detaches from the holder such that the user isable to insert the ammunition directly into the cartridge chamber,charging chamber or magazine of the weapon with the same grip with whichthe user grasps the ammunition from the holder. The holder does not takeany more space in the gear than a normal pocket due to its retracting orcollapsible lower clip. This feature makes an empty holder only slightlyprotruding in the gear and speeds up grasping the next ammunitionbecause the clip has retracted out of the way.

1. A self-adjusting collapsible ammunition holder comprising an upperbody and a pin supported on it, around which there is a cylinder towhich a lower clip is attached, wherein the lower clip of the ammunitionholder bends or turns by the force of a spring against a body of theholder, wherein the cylinder, which slides around the pin by the forceof the spring or the user, and an intermediate piece act as aself-adjusting lower part of the body of the holder.
 2. Theself-adjusting ammunition holder according to claim 1, comprising ashoulder in the upper body, the shoulder being shaped to be straight,such that it does not conform to a curved shape of a base of anammunition and surrounds a groove or flange over the entire length of acavity of the upper body of the holder.
 3. The ammunition holderaccording to claim 1, comprising a fastening of the lower clip throughthe intermediate piece to two cylinders and pins, thus preventing thelower clip from freely rotating about the axis of either pin.
 4. Theammunition holder according to claim 2, comprising a fastening of thelower clip through the intermediate piece to two cylinders and pins,thus preventing the lower clip from freely rotating about the axis ofeither pin.